Picspam: Chu Shuzhi &/ Zhao Yunlan (early drama episodes)

[china_shop]

Hi, my initial plan was to picspam Chu Shuzhi smiling at Zhao Yunlan. Of course, I took way too many screencaps, so please congratulate me on whittling them down and not including every single scene where the two of them appear together (just most of them). *g*

Naturally, I immediately extended my brief when I began scanning the episodes and saw this.


Episode 4, interview scene. Zhao Yunlan interrupts Chu Shuzhi's interviewing of Shen Wei with a casual hand on Chu Shuzhi's shoulder. At this point, I think the only other person who's touched Lao Chu is Guo Changcheng when he's freaking out. I doubt Zhao Yunlan makes a habit of it, either.

Shortly thereafter, on the SID mezzanine, Chu Shuzhi and Zhao Yunlan talk about the case. Chu Shuzhi has unilaterally sent his doll to tail Lin Yusen, and Zhao Yunlan sees Chu Shuzhi's ear twitching and catches on immediately.



There are mutual compliments:
ZYL: Not bad, Lao Chu. Sending a puppet to shadow him. You even picked up remote monitoring.
CSZ: Casting a long line to catch the big fish, you taught me that.

Again, outside my brief, but I do enjoy them working so well together at the end of episode 4, during fake Zhang Danni's poisonous-gas temper tantrum.





Not pictured: after Zhao Yunlan starts negotiations with fake Zhang Danni, he sends a sly, silent glance to Chu Shuzhi, signalling that Chu Shuzhi should pull Da Qing out of the danger zone. Chu Shuzhi immediately gets the message.

Episode 5 has this wonderful exchange outside the residence where Butler Wu works.







GCC: Chief Zhao, you're amazing. You can see her face from so far away?
ZYL: If you were the chief, you'd be able to see it, too
CSZ: This is the instinct of a beast.
ZYL: Lao Chu, you little... You've changed.
CSZ: *smirks*

I love that Chu Shuzhi has opened up and joined the team enough to tease Zhao Yunlan like this. It's so playful, especially in the middle of a case! And it feels like a real shift from the first couple of episodes, building on what's come before.

Honorary inclusion: at the start of episode 6, when they're interviewing Ji Xiaobai about his missing Weiwei, Zhao Yunlan stomps on Da Qing's foot for being tactless, and Chu Shuzhi looks away, presumably so he won't laugh.



Not pictured: in episode 5, in the mirror dimension, when Dixingren!Weiwei appears, Zhao Yunlan puts a restraining hand on Chu Shuzhi's shoulder.

Gratuitous cap just because Chu Shuzhi is pretty. This is from episode 7, when the rest of the team minus Zhao Yunlan are talking about web comics.



Still in episode 7, Zhao Yunlan and the team watch the CCTV footage of the mugging. When Zhao Yunlan gets flustered about being caught on tape with Shen Wei, Chu Shuzhi raises his eyebrows and gives a sceptical, "Ahh." Hee!





Episode 7, at the hospital. This one is a bit of a stretch because Chu Shuzhi is probably following Lin Jing's explanation rather than looking at Zhao Yunlan, but he is looking across rather than up, and it looks so speculative. If I were vidding... (Also, it made me wonder: what if the entire SID team (minus Da Qing) had crushes on Zhao Yunlan, each in their own way, before Shen Wei arrived on the scene. *g*)



Episode 7 at the web novelist Lai Su's place. I just thought these shots of them working together were pretty.





Not pictured because it happens too quickly: in ep 9, when they're outside the SID preparing to leave for their trip to the mountains, Zhao Yunlan tosses Chu Shuzhi some car keys with zero warning, and Chu Shuzhi catches them effortlessly and without fuss. *hearts*

When they stop to rest on their way to the Hanga caves, in ep 10, Zhao Yunlan and Chu Shuzhi's both sprawl on a big rock. (Chu Shuzhi often sits with his feet up at the SID, too. I wonder how differently he'd have sat if Shen Wei had been there openly as the Envoy earlier on; how much has he adopted the habits and postures of those around him *koff*ZhaoYunlan*koff*?)





Honorary inclusion: this is Chu Shuzhi grinning and giving Guo Changcheng a thumbs up for zapping Zhao Yunlan with his fear stick. LOL!



Finally, in the Hanga caves in ep 11, Chu Shuzhi smiles at Zhao Yunlan's having appointed Sang Zan as the SID's new librarian. Aww!



I'm stopping here, because over the few episodes after the Hanga arc, the dynamic changes; instead of Zhao Yunlan working with Chu Shuzhi and the others so much, the focus shifts heavily to the Envoy reveal (as is only right and proper!). We get Zhao Yunlan being "kidnapped" by Zhu Jiu and then, increasingly, partnering with Shen Wei. And whereas at the end of episode 5, Zhao Yunlan and Chu Shuzhi worked together to test Xiao Guo's tailing skills (and Zhao Yunlan says it's the seventh time he's failed, lol), from here on out, Chu Shuzhi's partnership with Guo Changcheng starts to solidify.

Comments

[trobadora]

amedia actually made me new Chu Shuzhi icons just the other day! I just haven't uploaded anything yet because I'm a bit disorganised at the moment, oops ... (Thhat does make the Chu-Shuzhi-curls-up-and-cries icon feel appropriate, though. /o\)

Do you think it's part of Zhao Yunlan's progression? That all of the team coming up (sort of, mildly) against Shen Wei brings them together a little more, especially given Shen Wei's lightly sharpening his claws on Zhu Hong and Chu Shuzhi? *g*

Oh, yes, I love that interpretation, it makes a lot of sense to me. And it's also connected to Zhao Yunlan's general change of attitude towards Dixingren

I feel like there's a little bit of testing what he can get away with here, sort of how Zhao Yunlan is with Shen Wei sometimes, you know?

Oh, 100% this! Lao-Chu is feeling out his place on this team, whether/how he can fit, how much he can be himself and where the lines are. Something that didn't seem to be an option for him before. ♥ ♥ ♥

LOL! Zhao Yunlan totally deserves it in these early eps. And it probably helps towards his character growth! *g*

Yeah! He needs people like that around him, but he's been very good at keeping everyone at arm's length, so he hasn't had it until now except with Da Qing. So much changes when Shen Wei appears on the scene!

[china_shop]

(Thhat does make the Chu-Shuzhi-curls-up-and-cries icon feel appropriate, though. /o\)

Hee! *hearts*

And it's also connected to Zhao Yunlan's general change of attitude towards Dixingren

Yes! It all works in concert. :D (It must help, too, that hyper-respectable Haixingren Guo Changcheng treats Lao Chu with such acceptance and respect -- putting Zhao Yunlan's prejudices to shame.)

Lao-Chu is feeling out his place on this team, whether/how he can fit, how much he can be himself and where the lines are. Something that didn't seem to be an option for him before. ♥ ♥ ♥

Yesss! And Zhao Yunlan doesn't threaten to cut his bonus or anything, just plays along with his wagging finger. :D :D :D

So much changes when Shen Wei appears on the scene!

Professor Shen, the Envoy, Guo Changcheng, all the new cases... Wang Yike and Zhang Ruonan... all of it. (Ohh, now I'm wondering how much difference it made, just the fact that Zhao Yunlan could have a cordial, businesslike conversation about the Hallows in his office. Like, that's huge, right?)

[trobadora]

It must help, too, that hyper-respectable Haixingren Guo Changcheng treats Lao Chu with such acceptance and respect -- putting Zhao Yunlan's prejudices to shame.

Yes! And that despite Xiao-Guo being so terrified by everything at the start! ♥ ♥ ♥

Professor Shen, the Envoy, Guo Changcheng, all the new cases... Wang Yike and Zhang Ruonan... all of it.

Yes, all of it! But Shen Wei is the one who outright challenges his views about Dixingren right from the start, and his suspicions about Shen Wei combined with his attraction to and fascination with Shen Wei force him to actually face that challenge. He can't ignore it any more. (The way he seems to have ignored that he's actually had a Dixingren colleague for ages, where it doesn't seem to have affected his views much if at all. Poor Chu Shuzhi.)

(Ohh, now I'm wondering how much difference it made, just the fact that Zhao Yunlan could have a cordial, businesslike conversation about the Hallows in his office. Like, that's huge, right?)

Completely agreed! And ooh, now I wonder how much of a difference it makes for Chu Shuzhi as well, Zhao Yunlan actually conferring with the Envoy?

(Btw, I have now uploaded my shiny new icons, yay!)

[china_shop]

And that despite Xiao-Guo being so terrified by everything at the start! ♥ ♥ ♥

Oh yes, good point!

But Shen Wei is the one who outright challenges his views about Dixingren right from the start, and his suspicions about Shen Wei combined with his attraction to and fascination with Shen Wei force him to actually face that challenge. He can't ignore it any more.

Yes, very true. Shen Wei is such a deliberate and pointed catalyst. The stakes are so high for him!

The way he seems to have ignored that he's actually had a Dixingren colleague for ages, where it doesn't seem to have affected his views much if at all. Poor Chu Shuzhi.

/o\ /o\ /o\

And ooh, now I wonder how much of a difference it makes for Chu Shuzhi as well, Zhao Yunlan actually conferring with the Envoy?

Yesss! And also the Envoy consenting to come. That might challenge Chu Shuzhi's habit of holding himself apart?

(Ooh, that's lovely! ♥!)

[trobadora]

Shen Wei is such a deliberate and pointed catalyst. The stakes are so high for him!

Yes, exactly! And I don't think Chu Shuzhi would have expected Zhao Yunlan to respond well to someone poking him with a stick like that, but he does! ♥

And also the Envoy consenting to come. That might challenge Chu Shuzhi's habit of holding himself apart?

Maybe not the Envoy responding to a summons (that would be expected, I think) but actually conferring with Zhao Yunlan, yeah. And maybe also the way he responds to Zhao Yunlan and the SID? Including the way he doesn't take offence to either Guo Changcheng speaking out of turn or Zhao Yunlan's passive-aggressiveness on the rooftop.

[china_shop]

And I don't think Chu Shuzhi would have expected Zhao Yunlan to respond well to someone poking him with a stick like that, but he does! ♥

Hmm, there is precedent in the form of Da Qing. But yeah. Early-canon Zhao Yunlan is so performative and weird...

And maybe also the way he responds to Zhao Yunlan and the SID? Including the way he doesn't take offence to either Guo Changcheng speaking out of turn or Zhao Yunlan's passive-aggressiveness on the rooftop.

Yeah. (For that matter, I wonder what Chu Shuzhi makes of Xiao Guo, that total scaredy-cat, speaking out at all to the fearsome Envoy, and on behalf of a dangerous Dixingren not-even-human-looking criminal, at that!)

[trobadora]

I think Da Qing is in a different category in Chu Shuzhi's eyes because when he arrives on the scene their dynamic is (presumably) already established, and a total stranger doing the poking is a different matter ...

For that matter, I wonder what Chu Shuzhi makes of Xiao Guo, that total scaredy-cat, speaking out at all to the fearsome Envoy, and on behalf of a dangerous Dixingren not-even-human-looking criminal, at that!

Yes! Xiao-Guo is so good for Chu Shuzhi, honestly.

[china_shop]

I think Da Qing is in a different category in Chu Shuzhi's eyes because when he arrives on the scene their dynamic is (presumably) already established, and a total stranger doing the poking is a different matter ...

That's true. His relationship with Da Qing does set a mild precedent, though. Some reason for optimism... ;-p